Mopping and rinsing machine



Feb. 16 1926. I 1,572,913

w. s. FINNELL MOPPING AND RINSING MACHINE Filed April 9, 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet '1 W. S. FINN ELL MOPPING AND RINSING MACHINE Feb. 16, 1926. 1,572,913

Filed April 9, 1923 2 Shqets-Sheet z I Will Ell/( 1711079 m A JMJL AWS.

Patented Feb. 16, 1926.

UNITE STATE earner .FFICE- WALTER, S. FINNELL, F I-IANNIBAL, MISSOURI, ASSIG'NOR TO AMERICAN SCRUBBING EQUIPMENT COMPANY, OF HANNIBAL, MISSOURI, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

MOPPING AND RINSING MACHINE.

Application filed April To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, VVAL'rnR S. FINNELL,

a citizen of the United States, residing at Hannibal, in the county of Marion and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mopping and Rinsing Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to appliances for removing soil from floors of buildings and more particularly to that type of appliance which employs a squeegee and pump upon a wheeled truck whose propulsion over the floor causes operation of the pump and the lifting of the soil and its discharge into a tank on the truck. An example of such an appliance may be seen in the patent to Jenkins No. 1,006,221, issued October 17, 1911. Use of such an appliance ordinarily follows up a scrubbing operation which loosens the dirt adhering to the floor. Water and a detergent are employed during the scrubbing, and the resultant accumulation of matter is in practice first removed by the scraping and pumping process but something further and in the nature of a rinsing operation is needed in order to leave the floor in afully cleansed state. In order to accomplish this considerable dilution is necessary, while at the same time floodingof any considerable area of the floor at one time is to be avoided in the interests of comfort and safety of persons traversing the floor.

I aim to provide for dilution as and when needed in the progress of the mopping appliance over the floor, localizing the delivery of clean water to the particular restricted area where the squeegee and pump are in action. In carrying out this object I provide a compact, conveniently arranged and easily manipulatedunit in which there is combined with the squeegee, pump and soilreceiving tank on the wheeled truck, a clean water supply tank and valved delivery pipe discharging within the confines of the squegee under control of the operator as he propels the truck along the floor.

In the drawings which accompany and form part of this specification I illustrate 0 what I consider to be the best form of em bodiment of my invention, and in the claims appended to this specification I set forth the characteristics thereof without limitation to 9, 1923. serial No. 630,755.

precise details of the typical embodiment here presented.

Figure 1 of the drawings shows the machine in perspective; Fig. 2 is a side elevation; Fig. 3 is a fragmentary vertical section on an enlarged scale following line 33 of Fig. 2; Fig. l is a similar section following line t l of Fig. 2; and Fig. 5 is a fragmentary segregated perspective show-- ing interlocking formations of soil tank and under frame.

Reference numeral 2 designates a rectangular base frame running on a pair of broad tread rubber-faced wheels 3 and having a forwardlv projecting fork 4 with a pilot wheel 5. Through pivoted clutch dogs 6 the wheels 3 drive discs 7 secured to shaft 8 which carries asprocket wheel 9 for driving the pump. The cylinder 10 of the latter stands vertically in front of the truck frame, extending through the fork 4 and having a rubber skirt 11 at the bottom. The truck frame has a front portion 12 rising from the base 2 and extending upwardly in the form of an arm 13 carrying a bracket 14 in which the pump piston stem 15 is guided. A rod 16 connects the piston with a crank 17 on a shaft 18 in a frame bracket 19, and a sprocket wheel 20 on said shaft is connected by a chain 21 with the sprocket wheel 9. A sheave 22 on an adjustable frame bracket 23 serves to take up slack in the said chain.

Adjustable brackets 24 on the frame front 12 support forwardly-extending arms 25 to which a- V-shaped squeegee 26 is pivoted, said arms converging in rear of the brackets to a point of attachment under the base frame, for bracing purposes. end of the pump is at the apex of the squeegee so that the latter embraces it in such manner as to bank the soil in dilution around the pump as the squeegee scrapes over the floor. From the head 27 on the upper end of the pump cylinder a nozzle 27 extends rearward through an opening in the frame front 13 and has lugs 27 bolted to the latter for rigidly holding the pump in position. The nozzle has adown-turned outlet over a tank 28 which occupies a space immediately in rear of the. frame front12 and rests upon the base frame 2, extending The suction v rearwardly beyond the same. The rear corners of the base frame 2 are raised as shown at 29 in Figs. 2 and 5 and the side and bottom walls of the tank are indented as shown at 30 for interlocking purposes. The tank can be conveniently shoved in from the rear and then dropped so that its indentations go over the raised portions of the rear cross-bar of the base frame whereby the tank will be held against rearward shifting. At the same time the raised portions of the side bars of said base frame will hold the tank against shifting sideways. The tank has a handle 31 by which to carry it when removed for emptying.

The truck is propelled by a handle in the form of a bail 32 which is secured at its lower ends to the base frame 2 and extends upwardly and rearwardly as convenience of manipulation requires. 7 V

As thus far described the appliance would serve the customary purpose of'scraping together and pumping up and delivering the matter left .on the floor after the scrubbing thereof.

Passing to description of the further equipment which provides for a rinsing operation, .an elevated rectangular platform '33 made of angle bars is supported at the front, through bracket '34:, by the frame arm 13 and at the rear by being bolted to the side bars of the handle 32, as shown at 35. The location of this elevated platform is such as to provide space for the pump nozzle 27- and for the ready insertion and removal of the tank 28. Upon this platform there is mounted a clean water tank 37, which has a re-entrant bottom with its side walls doubled upon themselves providing a stiffened foot-flange 38 to rest upon the horizontal flanges of the angle bars, as shown in Fig. 3. There is a perforated depression 39 in the bottom of the tank at its forward part with a flanged bushing 40 and a clamping nut 41. This provides for de livery of the water from this tank through pipe connections to points between the blades of the squeegee; .as will presently be described. A screw-threaded end of a pipe elbow 44 extends .up through a cross- .bar 42 secured to the angle bars, and a gasket 43 is applied to the projecting end of the pipe which extends into the bushing .40. The latter bear-s down upon the gasket I for the purpose of making a water-tight joint. Bolts 45 are riveted toopposite sides of the foot flange 38 of the tank and extend down through openings in the angle bars and have wing nuts 46 applied to them. It will be seen that the arrangement just described provides for clamping down the clean water tank with its outlet bushing 40 pressed upon the gasket 42 so that a watertight joint will be insured. A short section of pipe 47 connects the elbow tet with an other elbow 48 to which is connected a vertical section of pipe 49. An elbow 50 at the lower end of the latter has .a section of rubber hose- 51 connected to it and extending forward to a T-coupling 52. Horizontal pipe sections 53 and 5 1 extend from the latter to the forward portions of the squeegee blades which carry supports 54 for these pipe sections, which also serve to plug their outer ends. The section of flexible rubber hose provides for rise and fall of the squeegee when working on its pivotal connections with the brackets 25 and following irregularities -in the surface over which the machine may be operating. The pipe sections 58, 54 are perforated in their under sides for the outflow of water upon the floor within the confines of the squeegee.

In the vertical pipe sect-ion 49 there is a valve 60 for controlling the flow of water from the tank. The handle of this valve is connected by a rod 61 with a hand lever 62 pivoted upon a notched sector 63 which is clamped to one of the side bars of the handle 32-. This valve-controlling fixture is located near the upper end of the handle so as to be within easy reach of the operator.

It will now be apparent that the machine can be effectively employed for rinsing purposes by causing a-regulated supply of clean water to flow from the upper tank and fall upon the floor across the space at the front of the squeegee, diluting the matter within the confines of the latter as the machine .advances with the pump operating to suck up the water and the matter in flotation and discharge the same into the lower tank 28.

I claim:

1. In a mopping machine, the combination of a wheeled truck havinga base frame and an elevated platform, ;areceiving tank removably mounted upon the base frame, a

clean water tank mounted upon the platform inunediately above the receiving tank and spaced from the same, a pump mounted in vertical position at the front of the base frame-and having a discharge nozzle extending between the two tanks, .a squeegee sup- :ported from the front of the base frame and embracing the suction end of the pump, and a clean water delivery pipe extending from the bottom of the upper tank and accommodated in the space bet-ween the latter and the receiving tank alongside the pump nozzle and thence extending downwardly and forwardly and discharging in front of the squegee.

2. In a mopping machine, the combina tion of a wheeled truck having a base frame and an upper platform, a receiving tank on the base frame, a pump mounted at the front of the latter and discharging into said tank, a squeegee embracing the suction end of the pump, a water pipe arranged to discharge in frontof the squeegee, and extending to the upper platform of the truck, and

a clean water tank removably mounted upon said platform and having an outlet registering with the end of the water pipe, with provisions for effecting a separable water-tight joint including clamping means.

3. In a mopping machine, the combination of a wheeled truck having a base frame and an upper platform, a receiving tank on the base frame, a pump mounted at the front of the latter and discharging into said tank, a squeegee embracing the suction end of the pump, a water pipe arranged to discharge in front of the squeegee and extending through the bottom of the platform, a gasket applied to the projecting end of the pipe, a clean water tank removably mounted upon said platform and having an outlet opening registering with the pipe and equipped with a bushing which bears upon the gasket, and. means for clamping down the tank upon the platform.

4. In a mopping machine, the combination of a wheeled truck, a receiving tank mounted thereon, a pump carried by the truck in front of said tank and discharging into the same, a V-form squeegee supported from the truck and embracing the suction end of the pump, a clean water tank carried upon an elevated portion of the truck frame, and delivery pipe extending from said clean water tank and having a transverse discharge section extending between the forward ends of the squeegee and supported thereby.

5. In a mopping machine, the combination of a wheeled truck, a receiving tank mounted thereon, a pump carried by the truck in front of said tank and discharging into the same, a V-form squeegee pivotally supported from the truck and embracing the suction end of the pump, a clean water tank carried upon an elevated portion of the truck frame, and a delivery pipe extending from said clean water tank and having a transverse discharge section extending between the forward ends of the squeegee and supported thereby, said delivery pipe having a flexible section between said transverse section and the tank.

6. In a' mopping machine, the combination of a wheeled truck having a base frame with raised corner portions, and a receiving tank removably mounted upon said frame and having indentations to receive the raised corner portions thereof.

7. In a mopping machine of the class de scribed, the combination of a platform, a water pipe with an open end presented vertically thereunder, a tank removably mounted upon said platform and having an open ing registering with said pipe, a bushing at the opening, a gasket between the bushing and the pipe, and neans for clamping the tank down upon the platform.

8. In a mopping machine of the class described, the combination of a platform, a water pipe with an open end presented vertically thereunder, a tank removably mounted upon said platform and having an opening registering with said pipe, a bushing at the opening, a gasket between the bushing and the pipe, pendent bolts on the tank, and nuts on the bolts, whereby to clamp the tank down upon the platform.

WALTER S. FINNELL; 

